Summarize the text below.
The role of women in society is gradually taking its rightful place not only in urban areas but in rural areas as well. Women in Africa have always assumed an important role in villages and communities. They have been in the forefront of food security, bio-diversity and various other aspects of the household. In apartheid South Africa for example, women lived without their men who were migrant workers in the mines. In the absence of the men the women became managers of their households. In this chapter we explore why the education leadership curriculum should explore deeper as to why the role of women in African societies can enhance organisations. The curriculum in many programmes teaches management and leadership by merely looking at ‘male modes of leadership’. Yet, femininity and the role of women have much to teach students of management and leadership. African history has given us accounts of great women leaders who led with distinction, for example, MaNthantisi during the rise of the Zulu kingdom. Then there was the Ghanaian Queen Mother Yaa Asantwa who led and protected her chiefdom against British Colonialists. The Empress Uelete Rutael from Ethiopia was also a strong leader in her own right. There are various other examples that show that women in Africa have the ability to lead with distinction. However, many have argued that due to their ‘biology’ women cannot be good leaders. Yet the African Women Leaders’ website declares: Another excuse used against the participation of women in leadership is the fact that they are usually sensitive and emotional and as such would not be able to perform to the best of their ability in stressful situations. True, women are usually very emotional. But does this necessarily have to be a bad thing? The empathy that women feel for people and situations make them better able to understand the people they are leading.
This chapter explores some of these debates, for it is unthinkable to ignore these aspects of womanhood in leadership. Women in Africa have had various roles that show them enhancing their communities.
Leadership: What’s gender got to do with it?
There is much literature that has highlighted how barriers or obstacles stifle women leaders in organisations. Aspects such as education are among factors that suppress women aspiring to go up the leadership ladder. Although there are instances in traditional society where women are perceived unequal to men, they are crucial in ensuring a working society. Afasi underscores the key role that African women play in the education of children as well as the transmission of moral values. Furthermore, Afasi points out that in traditional African societies the ‘woman possessed the power that binds the society together’. Afasi argues that colonialism was the root of gender equality in Africa. During colonialism, women’s complementary role to man changed to that of women subordination. When African cultures met the Europeans cultures they came into contact with cultures where men were more powerful and dominant in social structures. Afasi also succinctly captures how colonialism demeaned the roles of women: [T]he face of African society on gender equality changed owing to the influence of colonialism. Women began to suffer oppression from men. The shackles imposed by law, custom, religion and attitudes forced women to play the second fiddle. In fact, women mostly remained relegated to the last rung of the social and political ladder. Women no longer were giving the opportunity to exercise any power except those supervised by men. Chukwu contends that although the traditional society was patriarchal, there were gender specific roles which complemented male roles. As pointed out above, colonialism and Western ways destroyed the traditional power of the African woman. The Western schools that were introduced and the type of work offered altered the role of women in African societies. Sharma contends that in traditional society women had an active role in sustaining the family. This author also points out that it had been suggested recently that women were inventors of agriculture. In the pre-colonial era, communities were mainly agricultural in which women played a crucial role. As people closer to the earth, various ceremonies and rituals in Africa needed the woman’s role. Linked to Mother Nature, women were instrumental in growing and nurturing communities. There are many researchers who demonstrate opposition to African traditional societies for demeaning the role of women. Coetzee writes about traditional African women who are forced to be passive and submissive in marriage. Whilst Nyanhoyo writes about how African societies are biased against women as they are gender insensitive. Such researchers overlook the damage done by Western influences in post-colonial African villages.
